9/26/2011
9/22/2011
Pella
Pošto sam ovih dana bila okupirana planiranjem bašte za proleće i naručivanjem lukovica lala i narcisa, možda je pravi momenat da postavim dodatne slike iz Pella, radi inspiracije.
9/19/2011
Moja bašta za leptire / My Butterfly Garden
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Moja bašta za leptire je gotova. Prekidana kišom i hladnim vremenom nekako sam uspela da uradim sve ono što sam zamislila. Čini mi se da je najgori deo posla bilo uklanjanje trave.
Baštu sam isplanirala unapred, da bih bila sigurna da imam dovoljno prostora za sve biljke koje sam htela da posadim. Bašta je više od 4m dugačka i u najširem delu oko 3m široka.
Neke biljke sam presadila iz moje postojeće bašte: ehinaceu i rusku žalfiju. Letnji jorgovan (Buddleia Davidii) sam kupila na pijaci u Des Moines, i kako je biljka izgledala lepo i zdravo, odlučila sam da naručim još koju biljku iz istog rasadnika (Stam Greenhouse). Za razliku od velikih baštenskih centara koji svake godine imaju iste vrste biljaka, ovaj rasadnik ima veliki asortiman višegodišnjih biljaka, o kojima sam do sada samo čitala. Od njih sam dodatno naručila Pincushion flower (Scabiosa) i Cardinal flower (Lobelia cardinalis), koga kolibri obožavaju. Ovako je izgledao ceo proces rada...
My butterfly garden is done. Interrupted by rain and cold weather, I somehow finished the work in the garden. It seems that the removal of the grass was the worst part of making this garden.
I planned the garden for a few days, to be sure that I have enough space for every plant that I wanted. The garden is 15 feet long and 11-13 feet wide.
Some plants I transplanted from my existing garden: the purple coneflower, and the Russian sage. The butterfly bush that I bought at the Farmers Market in Des Moines, was a beautiful and healthy plant, so I decided to order more plants from the same nursery (Stam Greenhouse). The big garden centers usually have the same plants every year. This nursery has many varieties that I only heard of before, but I have never seen them in the big garden centers. From this nursery I ordered Pincushion flower (Scabiosa) and Cardinal flower (Lobelia cardinalis), the plant that hummingbirds adore. This is how the whole process looked like... 
Bašta je skoro gotova jer joj nedostaje sloj malča koji će preko zime zaštititi sve biljke od niskih temperatura. U proleće kada otopli, planiram da posadim verbenu ili kadivicu duž ivica bašte i još poneku biljku jarkih boja. Sve biljke koje sam posadila su otporne na sušu i uglavnom nativne za područje Ajove, tako da se nadam da će se primiti i lako prilagoditi na velike letnje vrućine. S obzirom da Cardinal flower voli vlažnost, tu biljku sam odvojila od ostalih biljaka i posadila pored hrasta, u području dvorišta koje obiluje vodom (predposlednja slika).
Kako se zima polako bliži, ostaje mi da strpljivo sačekam par meseci da sve ponovo oživi i leptiri nasele moju baštu.
Kako se zima polako bliži, ostaje mi da strpljivo sačekam par meseci da sve ponovo oživi i leptiri nasele moju baštu.
The garden is almost ready, but it needs some mulch to protect the plants over the winter. In the spring, I will plant verbena or marigold along the edge of the garden. All the plants are drought tolerant and mostly native to Iowa, so hopefully they will grow without any problems. Only the Cardinal flower loves moisture. That is why I planted it in the part of the backyard that is damp, next to the oak tree (the fifth photo).
The winter is almost here, so I only need patience to wait for the spring to arrive and bring butterflies to my garden.
The winter is almost here, so I only need patience to wait for the spring to arrive and bring butterflies to my garden.
9/07/2011
Ledges State Park
Ovog leta smo išli do Ledges State Park. Park se razlikuje od drugih, mnogobrojnih parkova u Ajovi po tome što je kanjon. Kroz njega prolazi potok, koji je pritoka reke Des Moines. Stene koje su uzdižu nad potokom su u pojedinim delovima prilično visoke i na njihovim vrhovima se nalaze šume kroz koje se protežu duge staze za šetnju.
Do potoka se stiže putem koji je ranije bio otvoren i za vozila i za pešake, ali su ga prošlogodišnje poplave oštetile tako da je ove godine put otvoren samo za pešake. Po parku se još uvek mogu videti tragovi koje su besne bujice ostavile za sobom: hrpe granja i poneko stablo istrgnuto iz korena, gomile kamenčića na delovima gde je nekada bio put. Uvek pokošene travnate površine predviđene za piknik, ove godine su zarasle visokom travom. Prizor podseća na film "Jurassic Park III", kada je ostrvo dinosaurusa zaraslo, jer više nije bilo ljudske ruke da ga održava:) Ali i bez čovekovog uticaja priroda je izvrstan umetnik i utoliko napravi lepotu na svakom koraku.
Over the summer we went to the Ledges State Park, for a walk. This park is little different than most parks in Iowa, because it consists of sandstone canyons, carved by small creek, which is a branch of the Des Moines River. On the high cliffs of stones, there are woods with long hiking paths.
There is a road to the creek that was open for vehicles in previous years. This year it is closed, due to last year's flooding. Still, you can go there by foot. There is evidence that water was raging across this park: piles of branches and a few fallen trees, mass of gravel on the spot where once was a road...Usually the well groomed spots in the picnic area, this year are overgrown with grass. The scene is almost like the one from the movie "Jurassic Park III", when the island is overtaken by the nature and dinosaurs:) But, without the influence of man, the nature is still an amazing artist.
Deo puta preko koga prelazi potok
The creek goes over the part of the road
